Education that is sought to be imparted and imbibed through compulsion not only instils fear in the young minds, but also creates resistance, often stoking rebellious feelings. And, in the best-case scenario, such education, churns out degree wielding knowledge warriors who are of no use to the industry due to a version mismatch. The hardware may be state of the art, but the software is antiquated, not industry ready, as the term goes.

Whatever is force fed to our students, is neither digested, nor does it lead to the enlightenment that is sought. We are in fact, encouraging our young to work towards improving their handwritings, even as we know that they will spend their lives, keying in. As the world strides towards Artificial Intelligence, we are turning inwards with a vengeance, stifling creativity, encouraging learning by rote and taking pride in making our young mimic robots. Deliverance lies, not in the tinkering, but a complete system reboot.

And for doing so, we need to do away with the compulsion, the fear that is ingrained in our education system and replace it with excitement. For excitement, will lead to empowerment.  Excitement that comes when responsibility is delegated to the students, when they are encouraged to step out of the system of regurgitation and experience the lesson. A process, that the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) is well on way to elevate to the level of a fine art. Mind you, it is easier said than done, one cannot force excitement down the collective throats of students in the same breath that one seeks to replace the compulsory – that will not only be self-defeating, but will be akin to replacing one evil with another. “The entire system has to be voluntary” smiles Prof. Dilip Shah, the Dean of Student Affairs at BESC, one of the key constituents, behind the evolution of what many academicians are hailing as the future of educating our young. The other initiator of this revolutionary system of Exponential Learning being the young and dynamic Miraj D Shah, the Vice Chairman of the Institution.

“As educators, as institutions, our job will be help foster the latent creativity in our students. In doing that, we should try to restrict our role to that of facilitators, wherein we provide the platform and allow students to share the arch-lights. Yes, they do face stage freights. They also stumble. But they are quick to regain composure, for they are secure in their knowledge that the faculty is there in the wings to stop them from falling. Their biggest success is in overcoming their inherent fear of failure.”

Prof Shah puts things mildly. Fact is, BESC, which organises an insane number of events in any academic year, has taken student participation to a whole new level, with every aspect of every event being organised – from concept to communication – by students, often greenhorns getting their first bites into the slice of life as it were. And what a slice – from Greek flea markets to the Model United Nations through signature events that are the crowning glories of the city’s event calendar – Umang, Communique, Dhamaal – events that would do any professional event company proud.

“There have been times when we have committed unpardonable lapses” says a second-year student, who is by now a veteran of many do’s. “And Dilip Sir has not even rapped us on the knuckles, concentrating on setting things right, on putting us back on track. Always taking the flak, even as he gives us all the credit.  Academics, hardly. They are more of life lessons. Life changing ones, in fact.”

“Don’t read too much into what the students tell you about me” says the ever-affable Prof Shah, almost reading the student minds. “They have also learnt how to handle the media. The entire credit goes to the management, especially to the young and dynamic Miraj D Shah, our Vice Chairman, who does not only share this vision, but has also allowed me and literally been the Rock of Gibraltar. The connect that BESC is establishing with tomorrow, is thanks to the good work being done by him and the members of our faculty and non-teaching staff. It is not a sniper attack, my friend, what you are witnessing here is an army on the move.”

That is not to say that BESC students are let into the arena to fight things out without proper training. Quite to the contrary, some of the most revered names from their respective domains – be that industry or academia – are regularly invited to the campus to groom students in search of excellence. The number of sessions they conduct – as a rule as opposed to being an exception – is mindboggling. What is even more baffling, to the uninitiated that is, is the fact that attendance to these events are voluntary. “Don’t underestimate the intelligence of the young. They know how to differentiate the grains from the chaff” says Prof Shah, “if you are able to make them attain critical mass, the fission that follow is nothing short of nuclear.” And you thought BESC is all about an endless parade of film stars trying to promote their films and themselves?

Prof. Dilip Shah is the Dean of Student Affairs of the Bhawanipur Education Society College.

This piece was originally written for the Financial Express BFSI 2017.

Leverages its fastest growing associate network in the city to disburse loans worth Rs. 200 crores+ since inception

New Delhi, November 1st, 2017: With its constant determination to revolutionize the traditional lending scenario of the country, Rubique, India’s leading fintech company is focused on taking its services to as many Indians as possible. In the same vein, it has identified Kolkata as a key market with tremendous potential after having processed around 10,000 applications and disbursing loan around Rs.200+ crores & 5000+ credit cards in the city of joy till date. The successful expansion of Rubique in Kolkata can be attributed to the fastest growing number of business associates network as well as small-scale entrepreneurs in the city who are always seeking new and convenient ways to access finance.

Rubique is relentlessly making endeavours to flip the traditional lending process through technological interventions in an unparalleled manner, helping a large number of customers in fulfilling their financial requirements. Its unique Online PLUS model enables users to get the best deals & have their loan applications processed faster through PAN verification, Aadhaar based e-KYC, Credit bureau integration, banking analysis, enhanced logic in proprietary matchmaking algorithm and addition of new data science methodologies. Additionally, Rubot – an AI and decision engine-powered bot is aimed at easing the transaction experience, whereas the TAB solution offers a wide SME product portfolio. All these technology innovations have enabled Rubique to disburse credit worth INR 2000 crore so far. Meanwhile, in Kolkata, Rubique has witnessed maximum adoption in this city with 100+ active Business Associates where the top performing business associate comes from this city who has earned around 45 lacs on various loans facilitated through the platform.

Rubique is targetting around Rs. 100 crores disbursements in the coming quarter considering the pace of growth in the city.

Commenting on the successful operations in Kolkata, Manav Jeet, MD & CEO – Rubique said, “The lack of options when it comes to accessing finance has been a major bottleneck for Kolkata-based SMEs and aspiring businessmen in the past couple of years. They have been striving to make the best of the economic opportunity that the state offers but don’t have access to reliable, transparent and time-efficient sources of finance to fulfill their goals. This is what makes the state a key market for us and we are thrilled with the overwhelming response we have received from the city through our growing business associate network. All this was made possible through our latest technology adoption and increasingly digitised processes which offer better approval ratios. With technology at the core of our vision, we are focused on serving more and more new and growing businesses across the region in the coming months.”

Trooping towards an aggressive expansion drive, Rubique eyes a foray into 100 cities across India by March 2018. It is currently present in 27 cities in the country and expects that these new markets will take up substantial credit from the AI-driven platform, raising the current total credit disbursed by the company from INR 2000 crore to triple or quadruple that level.

Rubique is recognized as one of the few success stories driving India’s rapidly-growing digital financial services sector amid all the fintech firms operating in the country today. Recently, the platform was selected by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to be a part of the first batch of its FinTech Regulatory Laboratory (RegLab) program. The platform will now develop and test its fintech innovations further as part of the program. In the Paris fintech forum 2017, Rubique was among 130+ fintech participants shortlisted across 25+ countries. In prestigious Benzinga Global Fintech Awards 2017-New York; Rubique was the finalist in the category of Best Lending Platform, Tool competing with globally renowned fintech players. Recently, Rubique has also been featured in IDC’s FinTech 101 list for Asia/Pacific and mentioned as one of the 10 fast growing fintechs in India.These international recognitions prove that Rubique’s business model has been validated and has the potential to be replicated in territories other than India as well.

About Rubique

Fintech Company Rubique is the leading marketplace lending platform in India. The platform empowers individuals & SMBs with an easy & smoother access to finance through wide range of loan, credit card and insurance products. Built on proprietary matchmaking algorithm, Rubique’s marketplace platform has been integrated with financial institutions’ systems for real time processing & for providing online approvals to the customer. The advance technology solution not only reduces the processing time significantly but the data analytics done on hundreds of data points helps to bring predictability & assess creditworthiness offering best deal to their customer.

Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen revisits the iconic design of the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. The Da Vinci  Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are tailored to women, while the Da Vinci Automatic is a unisex model. Two Da Vinci timepieces feature newly developed IWC-manufactured calibres that innovatively combine and integrate complications.

With the new Da Vinci collection, IWC Schaffhausen has returned to the round case that was so successfully established by the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar in 1985. It means we are bidding farewell to the tonneau case and reaffirming our commitment to the classic proportions the brand stands for,” explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “With the Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36, we are also re-establishing an old tradition of creating selected models from the Da Vinci line specially for women and adding diamonds or fashionable straps and bracelets as features. I am particularly pleased about the launch of the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and the Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph because they truly embody our manufacturing expertise.”

With the round cases, harmonious forms, rounded crowns and diamonds on single models in the new collection, IWC Schaffhausen establishes a link between the Da Vinci of the 1980s and today’s pure designs without denying the family’s heritage. The twin-frame bezel with the peripheral groove is a reminder of this period. Newly designed,  movable horns with curved lugs ensure that straps and bracelets fit perfectly around the wrist and make the  watches more comfortable to wear. All Da Vinci, Da Vinci Automatic 36 and Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 models are equipped with the new butterfly clasp. The clasp has three fold-out wings so the wearer can put on and take off the watch without fully opening the strap or bracelet. Two Da Vinci watches are fitted with a pin buckle: the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 has an 18-carat  red gold clasp, the Da Vinci Automatic one in stainless steel. The two models with Haute Horlogerie complications – the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph  and the Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph– feature a folding clasp with two wings.

THE 2017 DA VINCI COLLECTION:  AN OVERVIEW The Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are not only smaller  and slimmer, but also have a more feminine design: with rounded crowns and a recessed inner circle on the dial, as previously found in the Portofino 37 mm collection. Gold cases, diamond-set bezels and alligator leather straps by Santoni in the colours raspberry, bronze, dark brown and dark blue specially developed for IWC underscore the watch’s aesthetic appeal. To achieve the nuanced grad ations of colour on the strap, the surface of

Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen revisits the iconic design of the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. The Da Vinci  Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are tailored to women, while the Da Vinci Automatic is a unisex model. Two Da Vinci timepieces feature newly developed IWC-manufactured calibres that innovatively combine and integrate complications.

FEMALE TARGET GROUP IS  MAIN FOCUS OF INTEREST

“With the new Da Vinci collection, we are consciously  trying to anchor the brand in the minds of women, who account for a significant proportion of watch lovers,” explains Franziska Gsell, CMO at IWC Schaffhausen. “Here in Schaff hausen, the company has been manufacturing watches for women since the very beginning. In that sense, we are remaining true to our heritage.” The design of the new Da Vinci collection follows in the vein of this characteristic style. The design team, for instance, took inspiration from the solid horns that were a characteristic feature of the Da Vinci models made back in the 1980s. “We thought long and hard about the shape of the case for the new Da Vinci,” adds Christian Knoop, Creative Director at IWC Schaffhausen. “Eventually, we came to the conclusion that a modern interpretation of the round shape established in the 1980s would be most in keeping with IWC’s overall portfolio. For example, we took our cue from the twin-frame bezel with its peripheral groove, but made it slightly narrower and a little less pronounced. We also adopted the large Arabic numerals from the round Da Vinci together with the slim, lancet-shaped hands.”